Don’t be afraid to ask yourself what YOU want: Mindful Monday

Another Monday has shown it’s hideous face – And I am torn between two feelings today:

It’s only 8:45 am, so I still have some time to decide what direction my motivation is going to turn. Thinking about what I wanted to do today also made me think about the ‘bigger picture’. I have things I should do today to get me set up on the right track for the week – things such as writing down all my expenses from yesterday, my morning workout, and job research to name a few.

Then there’s things I want to do today. I want to travel to Europe. I want to write a book. I want to dance. I want to find or create a job that generates enough income for me to survive and thrive. I want to smile. I want to shower.

Okay, so traveling to Europe today probably isn’t plausible unless someone generous out there donates a trip to me – but the point is I can take the things that I should do and transform them in my mind into things that get me closer to the things that I want to do. Writing down all my expenses and job searching may not be the thrill of the day, but it can get me closer to paying off bills to be able to afford that trip to Europe some day. My morning workout can turn into a dance routine. I can write this blog post to slowly get better at writing and someday write a book or blog that people may pay to read!

Don’t be afraid to ask yourself what you really want. Be mindful of the desires within you and don’t let the burden of society’s expectations and demands mask the effort to get to a place in life that you want to be in.

One of my favorite sayings is “Turn stress into passion.”

Work hard, but instead of being stressed out about the details or menial tasks, be mindful that each and every step you take to better your situation gets you closer to what you are passionate about. Slowly, we can change our way of thinking from the blank list of “things we’d like to do today” to “I want to take over the world.” You know, except for wine and netflix Wednesday, ha ha.

Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Because you will make them, probably a lot of them if you’re anything like me. What separates the people who are successful from those who are mediocre are the ones who TRY. Be afraid not to try.  Ask yourself what you want and GO FOR IT. Start small, do the small things and take the small steps that will get you closer to your goals.

So, I’m gonna take the first step today and go work out. I’m not promising anything super-intense, but just enough to make me want to shower – and then I already have TWO things crossed off my list today. Bam.